Travel Abroad: 4 Things You Don’t Want to Leave at Home

We made it to Ireland on Sunday morning for our three-week adventure and already I’ve made a few realizations I wanted to share about what you really don’t want to leave at home when traveling abroad. Take a look at four of my must-haves:

1. A Power Adaptor. Sure, it seems obvious that you should bring along a power adapter, but make sure you have one that you can actually use in the country you are visiting. I brought along three that I used last year in Austria, but silly me, they don’t fit the plugs in Ireland. Worse, it is very difficult to find adaptors that convert U.S. to U.K. Everyone here wants either U.K. to U.S. or U.K. to Europe. Will not make that mistake again.

2. A Small Suitcase. The cars here are small. If you’re considering a large suitcase, you may find that it won’t fit in the trunk (the boot, as they say here in Ireland) of your car. My husband took a big suitcase and ended up having to put it in the front seat on the way to our house in County Cork. Fortunately, we rented two cars, so there was room for luggage and kids, but barely enough room.

3. A Wad of Local Currency. Before you leave for your trip, go to your bank and get a few hundred dollars worth of local currency. They may need to order it, so don’t show up the day before your trip asking for Euros. You’ll want to do this because your bank will charge you a fee each time you use your debit card overseas. Also, call your bank to see if they have a sister bank in the country you are visiting that will let you use their ATMs for free while on your travels.

4. The Right Chargers. Make sure you have the right chargers to power your iPhone, Kindle, iPod Touch, whatever, when you travel. I was recently in Texas and had to make three separate trips to electronic stores and a CVS before getting a power plug and the connecting wire that would actually charge up my iPhone. Not a fun adventure in the States, and I’m sure it would have been less fun overseas.

What have you forgotten and really wish you hadn’t when traveling abroad? Or, what do you consider a must-bring when venturing outside the States. Let me know in the comments section below.

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